1.Jacob3
Jackson (George2, John1)
was
born 25 January 1783 in Harrison County, (West) Virginia, and died
August
1810 in Muskingum County, Ohio. Jacob is listed on an 1810
Muskingum County
Ohio tax list, but when his mother died in 1812 her
obit indicted that she had
four living sons, which implied that Jacob
was dead by 1812.No
further record of him has been found
and since his father’s 1831 will
does not mention him we assume that he died
without
heirs.

Jacob
was a second lieutenant in the
Army as an artillery man.He was a
key player in the
Aaron Burr Controversy.In January 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr
tried to seduce Jacob
to leave his post as commanding officer of a
small garrison in Chickasaw Bluffs
(at the confluence of the
Mississippi and Wolf Rivers -- now Memphis,
Tennessee) and follow -->
-- Burr in his plan to "invade the -->
-- Spanish
dominions."
-- style="mso-spacerun: yes"> -->
-- President
Jefferson and others -->
-- when they heard of Burr's plans, felt -->
-- that Burr's
intentions of starting war -->
-- with the Spanish dominions with his own -->
-- private army
was cause for -->
-- treason.Jacob
Jackson supplied
key testimony in Burr's trial for
treason. [i]

Lt. Jackson gave his deposition in
Richmond on 19th & 20th October 1807 and his resignation became effective
the following month, after 20 months of service.

A Harrison County, West Virginia deed
from July of 1808 identifies Jacob Jackson's residence as Muskingum County,
Ohio.[ii]

***

Evidence of Lieutenant Jacob Jackson,
delivered in court, on Monday the 19th of October, 1807, which evidence was
revised, and again sworn to by him, on Tuesday the 20th of the same month, in
the form of a deposition:

“I, Jacob Jackson [a son of George
Jackson, age 24], a second lieutenant in the regiment of artillerists, do
certify and say, that, on the 3d or 4th day January, 1807, Aaron Burr arrived
at the Chickasaw Bluffs [at the confluence of Mississippi and Wolf Rivers, now
Memphis, Tennessee], in the night time, with one boat, and sent to the
commanding officer of the garrison, wishing to know whether he could have
quarters in the garrison during the night.Being the commanding and only officer there, I informed the
messenger that the said Burr could be accommodated.Accordingly, he came to the garrison in company with several
other gentlemen; and the next morning he asked me whether I had heard of the
attempts made in Kentucky to prosecute him, under an apprehension that he was
about to invade the Spanish dominions. I answered that I had not.He then went on to observe that he had
been prosecuted, but that nothing could be made out against him; that he was
going on a project which many wished to know, but that from their
inquisitiveness he was not disposed to gratify them.“It was a project, however,” said he, “which was honorable
to myself, and which would be the making of those who should follow me,
provided they survived the undertaking.”He continued to observe that the subjects of Spain were in a very
distressed situation, and that his project would tend to relieve them from the
tyranny of their Government.I was
then asked by him what I thought the opinion of my brother (a member of
Congress) [John George Jackson] was on the subject.I answered that I did not know.He then asked me what I thought of such a project
myself.I answered, that, if the
United States were going to war with Spain, I should be very glad to embark in
the enterprise.On which he
remarked, that the leading characters in the United States did not mean openly
to carry on a war against the Spaniards, but that they secretly favored his
views.I then told him that, if
such was the case, I was willing to engage in the enterprise; and, after
telling me again that the leading men in the United States (by which I supposed
he meant to include the heads of departments) approved his measures, he
remarked that he wished to engage young men; that he wished me to go with him,
for one; and that, in case I complied, he would give me a captain’s
commission.
Fully believing, from
the conversation and high standing of said
Aaron Burr, that a war was secretly
to be carried on by the United
States, against some of the territories of
Spain, I finally consented
to engage under him.He
then observed that I might probably want some money to
raise a
company.I replied that
I
did not want more than was sufficient to take me home, and
mentioned one
hundred and fifty dollars.He
inquired whether I could not let him have some
arms and ammunition.I
replied that I had a small supply of
these articles, but that I did
not think myself authorized to furnish him.On which he observed, that he had got
some at
another garrison, and that I should be justified in supplying
him.To which I replied,
that I did not wish
to implicate myself.He then
requested me to let some of my men repair
two or three muskets, and run him
some balls, (the lead he procured
at the public factory,) as he wanted, in
descending the Mississippi,
to kill game for the use of himself and the residue
of his men who
were behind; and I accordingly suffered the muskets to be
repaired
and the balls to be run.

In the
course of various
conversations, he frequently requested me to let
him have some soldiers to go
with him, which I as often refused.At last, he wished me to let
him have a soldier to carry a letter to Colonel
John McKee, in the
Chickasaw nation; and, on my refusal, he requested me to
give one of
my soldiers a pass for twenty days, and observed, that if he did
not
return, I could not be blameable.This I also refused.In the
course of this conversation, he asked me
whether I could not then go with him,
or soon follow him, and take
with me the soldiery under my command.In answer to which, I remarked (being
somewhat
alarmed at his propositions) that I was about to send in my
resignation;
and that, as soon as I was discharged from the service,
I had no objection to
following him; but that I could not undertake
to seduce the soldiery from their
duty while I held a
commission.I
also
observed, that my family was respectable, and that I would not do
anything
to injure the feelings of my relations, or to wound my
reputation as an
officer; and that, whatever might be his projects, I
did not wish to hear
anything more about them, unless they were
honorable.To which he
replied, that his views were honorable, and
that, by complying with
his request, I should not incur any blame; that many of
the Army were
actually engaged with him, and that he expected to derive
great
assistance from the present military force; that General Eaton
was coming round
with the Navy, and that he expected soon to receive
ten thousand stands of
arms.He moreover observed, that
as he was acquainted with my father
[George Jackson], he should like to have me
join him, and the sooner
I did it the better.I
replied that it might be some time before I could receive
an answer
to my resignation, but that, when I did, I would follow him,
provided
I found him patronized by the United States.He then observed, that it
would not do to delay business,
and would therefore furnish me with
money to raise a company.He asked me the expense of a man to
carry a letter to Colonel
McKee, in the Chickasaw nation.I replied, about fifteen dollars.He then asked me how many Indians I
thought
Colonel McKee could raise in the Choctaw nation.My reply was, that I did not
know; but that Colonel McKee
had resided there some time, and his
influence was probably considerable.

On the
morning of the 6th of the said
January, just before he started down
the Mississippi, on my entering the room
where the said Burr was, he
said to me, there is something for you on the
mantel-tree piece, over
the fire; on which I took from thence one hundred and
fifty dollars
in bank notes, and a draft on John Smith for five hundred
dollars,
which he at the same time presented me, observing that a draft
was
easier carried than money; that as to a receipt for the money, he
should not
take any; and that, in case I disliked his plans, he
relied on my honor to
return it.This money and draft
were given me by the said
Burr for the expressed purpose of raising a company
of men to join
him, and for building a boat calculated to ascend
currents,
particular instructions about which he gave me.

He
further observed, that he intended
to fix himself in the Spanish
dominions, and there proclaim his intentions; that
if I was not
informed of them before he left the Bluffs, he wished me, on my
way
to Virginia, to call on General Tupper, at Marietta, to whom he
should
communicate his intentions, as soon as he had fixed himself in
the Spanish
dominions, and that he would communicate them to me.And, at the same time, he
gave me a letter to said Tupper,
which I burned as soon as I received
the President’s proclamation.And, on his leaving the Bluffs, he
pressed me to leave the
garrison in fifteen days, and not to wait for the
acceptance of my
resignation; and, on my way down the Mississippi, to endeavor
to get
as many of the soldiery at the Bluffs to accompany me as
possible.

And
further this deponent saith not.

JACOB
JACKSON,

Lieutenant
regiment of artillerists.

Henrico
County, sct:

Sworn
to
before me, in due form, agreeable to law, this 20th October,
1807.

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January 6, 2007

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